Anusara Weekend

This is going to have to be a little short which is unfortunate because I could probably go on and on about everything I learned this weekend. I always thought Anusara was more about the spiritual side and the breath and the heart chakra (Anahata) and in many ways it is, I am sure... so it always intrigued me, but I avoided it a little because I always thought it would hurt me physically. I have major SI joint issues for which I am receiving several different types of care and that's how I tend to define myself on a personal level. In my experience all that heart opening ends up jamming my lower back. But in a workshop setting you have time to hone and refine the technique and learn how to fully engage the legs and the upper back to create opening in ways that you don't need to jam the lower back. I guess on some subtle level I always knew this to be the case, but I am stubborn and aren't we all a little addicted to our various syndromes?

Anyway, I was sure after this weekend I'd be hobbling around and in pain, and yes I feel sore in an exercise-y sort of way, but my back feels fantastic. I had some tough moments during the three modules I attended, but here were some of the accomplishments:

1. Pigeon pose with less emphasis on the hips and more on the lift created when you bring your legs energetically together, (the back-leg upper front thigh area rises off the mat a little, but it's okay) and pull the waist in and toward the back edge of the mat.

2. Handstand with shoulder girdle stability and scapular retraction. Okay, for like a few seconds, and with a spotter, but you have to start somewhere!

3. Pincha Mayurasana (Forearm Balance) away from the wall! Again, for a few seconds. But I did feel well aligned and strong throughout.

4. Chaturanga with wider elbows, broader chest, and scapular retraction, softening the upper spine between the blades. We almost always lowered to the floor in our transition from Chaturanga, whereas typically the "end pose" is to hover, roll over the toes, and press up into Cobra or Up Dog. Doing Chaturanga this way gives the opportunity for space across the chest and the heart to come forward into the eventual inhale. I'm so used to laying my body (practically) on the inner arms in Chaturanga that while it looks nice on the way down, my shoulders get all squinched (?) up on the way down with no room to move as I rise from there.

5. Cobra on the fingertips... feels weird as heck, but really helps you strengthen your back. In the past, during my teacher trainings and classes I've taken you are directed to lift your hands off the mat. Usually your shoulders shove up toward the ears (at least mine do). On fingertips, however, you still feel grounded, yet the back must work to draw the shoulder blades together and you're less likely to sink down through the chest. The elbows stay bent a lot until the strength is there, then you can straighten the arms without putting ALL your weight on the hands. The legs draw toward one another, and the whole pose feels stronger. We did that all weekend and my upper back is feeling sore for the first time in ages. It's grand.

6. I think finally I am ready to immerse myself more in the anatomy of the postures. For awhile I've been a bit afraid of it, like it was too technical and somehow I'd lose the more spiritual side of the practice. But now I see so much power in the balance of both. For example the psoas muscle... such a huge muscle that it's really responsible for connecting and integrating the movement of the upper and lower body, yet it rarely gets a nod during yoga classes, especially mine! I am planning on studying the psoas and its role in every pose. I am now convinced that weaknesses and imbalances in the psoas are a big contributor to most postural problems and also misalignments in yoga.

7. This beautiful chant:

Om Namah Shivaya Gurave

I honor the essence of Being, the Auspicious One, the luminous Teacher within and without,

Satchidananda Murtaye

Who assumes the forms of Truth, Consciousness, and Bliss

Nishprapanchaya Shantaya

Is never absent, full of peace,

Niralambaya Tejase

Ultimately free and sparkles with a divine luster.

Om